10-23-15
THE ONLY WAY AN I-49 CONNECTOR THROUGH LAFAYETTE WOULD BE BUILT IS THROUGH TOLLS AND NEW TAXES, ACCORDING TO RON MARINO, THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC FINANCE DEPARTMENT AT CITIGROUP. HE SPOKE YESTERDAY AT AN EVENT ORGANIZED BY ONE ACADIANA. HE SAYS IF LAFAYETTE RESIDENTS WAIT FOR MONEY TO COME FROM THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS, THEY’LL BE WAITING A LONG TIME WHILE THE ECONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE DIMINISH. THE PRICE TAG FOR THE I-49 CONNECTOR IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 700 MILLION AND ONE BILLION DOLLARS.
A Calcasieu Parish grand jury has indicted an Iowa man on one count of manslaughter. KPLC-TV reports the panel handed up an indictment Thursday against 64-year-old Randall Roy Austin who told deputies that he and his roommate, 40-year-old Sidney “Jody” Joseph Moore Jr. were arguing Sept. 6 when Austin ultimately got a shotgun from his bedroom. While wrestling for control of the weapon, he says it discharged, killing Moore. Authorities say Austin confessed to the shooting.
A ST. MARY PARISH CORRECTIONS OFFICER WAS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY BRINGING CONTRABAND INTO THE PARISH JAIL. 20-YEAR-OLD ZEDRIC DAVIS OF FRANKLIN WAS CHARGED WITH MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE, BRINGING CONTRABAND INTO A PENAL INSTITUTION, AND OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE IN AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE CRIME. DAVIS ADMITTED BRINGING A PACKAGE INTO THE JAIL, BUT WAS LATER FOUND TO HAVE BROUGHT TWO OTHER PACKAGES CONTAINING TOBACCO AND CELL PHONES. DAVIS WAS BOOKED INTO THE ST. MARY PARISH JAIL AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER JURISDICTION,.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers and ranchers in nearly 70 percent of Louisiana’s parishes and of Mississippi’s counties are now eligible for drought disaster aid. It named 43 Louisiana parishes as eligible on Wednesday, and added three more to the list on Thursday. Twenty-six are primary drought disaster areas, and 19 are eligible because they’re adjacent to those parishes. Farmers in those areas have eight months to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.
ED KRAMPE, ONE OF MCDONALD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL OWNER OPERATORS WITH 21 RESTAURANTS IN THE ACADIANA AREA, DIED UNEXPECTEDLY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. HE DIED IN HIS SLEEP OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE A HEART ATTACK. RICHARD ZUSCHLAG (ZOO shlawg), THE C-E-O AND CHAIRMAN OF ACADIAN AMBULANCE, TOLD THE DAILY ADVERTISER THAT HE’S VERY SADDENED BY KRAMPE’S PASSING AND CALLED HIM A GREAT BUSINESSMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST, WHO WAS VERY GENEROUS WITH HIS TIME, TALENTS AND RESOURCES. KRAMPE MOVED TO LAFAYETTE IN 1972 TO OPEN THE CITY’S FIRST MCDONALD’S RESTAURANT.
YESTERDAY MORE THAN 26-HUNDRED SIXTH GRADERS IN CALCASIEU PARISH ATTENDED THE 16TH ANNUAL LAKE AREA INDUSTRY ALLIANCE CHEMISTRY EXPO. FOUR DEMONSTRATIONS SHOWED THE STUDENTS HOW CHEMISTRY IS USED AT THE LOCAL INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES. VOLUNTEER KHRISTIAN ANTHONY TOLD KPLC TV THAT THE EXPO HE ATTENDED AS A SIXTH GRADER SPARKED HIS INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND IS THE REASON HE IS NOW PURSUING A BIOLOGY PRE-MED DEGREE AT MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY. THERE WERE MORE THAN 600 VOLUNTEERS FROM HIGH SCHOOLS, SOWELA AND MCNEESE.
A CROWLEY POLICE OFFICER HAS ADMITTED IN COURT TESTIMONY THAT HE POSTED BODY CAMERA VIDEO OF THE ARREST OF CLAY AND MITZI LEJEUNE ON YOUTUBE. OFFICER JACOB PRIMEAUX SAYS HE POSTED THE VIDEO TO SHOW THE PUBLIC WHAT HAPPENED IN ORDER TO PROTECT OFFICERS. THE LEJEUNES HAVE FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST CROWLEY POLICE CHIEF K-P GIBSON, PRIMEAUX, AND THREE OTHER OFFICERS ON THE SCENE, ALLEGING THAT THE OFFICERS KICKED DOWN THEIR DOOR, HELD THEIR CHILDREN AT GUNPOINT AND SHOCKED CLAY LEJEUNE REPEATEDLY WITH A STUN GUN. ATTORNEYS FOR THE OFFICERS FILED A MOTION EARLIER THIS MONTH TO DISMISS SOME OF THE CLAIMS IN THE LAWSUIT.
In the attack-heavy race for Louisiana attorney general, the focus is squarely on Republican incumbent Buddy Caldwell. Opponents in Saturday’s election have accused Caldwell of pay-for-play politics, incompetence and office mismanagement. He’s fending off the attacks with criticisms of his own, accusing chief Republican rival Jeff Landry of being a failed and desperate politician. Caldwell says no one has the experience he’s built over eight years in the office and three decades as a district attorney.
